Ummm,
It’s a purge.
“...to purge is to remove people considered by the group in power to be ‘undesirable’ from a government, political party, a profession, or from community or society as a whole...”
The method of removal is irrelevant when the goal - and the outcome - is the same. Purged objects are gone forever, and isn’t the intent after all?
““...to purge is to remove people considered by the group in power to be ‘undesirable’ from a government, political party, a profession, or from community or society as a whole...””
You forgot an important thing from the so called purge here...you’re smart enough you can figure it out. The definition is not met.
Purge requires intent.
They left, either through refusing to obey, or willingly. That could be called an exodus, migration, evacuation, retreat. But not a purge.
Stalin rounding up people and sending them to the Gulag was a purge.
People saying, “I dare you to ban me and up yours, Jim,” is an action of a restrained and good moderator. I’d have banned them much earlier for their behavior. They chose it. In a purge, you don’t choose. You are chosen.
Playing linguistic games won’t change reality. Some chose a flame warrior’s retreat strategy. Some just left. But it was up to them.